Question : “The basic values of constitution of India enshrine social, political and economic philosophy symbolizing sovereignty of the people, rule of law and basic characteristics of a socialist, secular, democratic republic”. Comment.
(2006)
Answer : The preamble to Indian constitution declares India as sovereign socialist, secular, democratic, republic. These words show the basic values of constitution of India.
The word sovereign means that both externally and internally, India is a sovereign nation. Socialist means that the people will have equitable share on country’s resources there by securing economic rights for every one. The world ‘secular’ in the preamble implies that
the state would not support any religion out of public funds, ....
Question : “Not the Potomac, but the Thames, fertilizes the flow of Yamuna”. In the light of the statement, comment on the symbolic institution of the president of India.
(2006)
Answer : The statement points towards the Prime Ministerial or parliamentary form of government that India choose instead of the presidential form. In India President is although the executive head of the state and government but his institution is just symbolic.
Under Article 72 of constitution of India it is said that there will be a council of minister to aid and advice the president. This means that the president do not have any discretion and he will ....
Question : “Though India emerged as a sovereign state Independence, the administrative system remained the same as was during the British period.” Comment.
(2003)
Answer : India remained under British domination and control for a very long time. During their period of supremacy the Britishers had their own administrative set-up. Of course several administrative changes have been introduced to suit new needs and requirements, altogether has not been wiped out.
There are many areas in which influence of British administrative system on Indian administrative system has been felt. These are: -
Question : “The value premises of our constitution in the era of global constitutionalism”. Comment.
(2002)
Answer : The constitution of a country in simple terms, can be said as a collection of the legal rules providing the framework for the government of the country. It reflects the dominant belief and interests or some compromise between conflicting belief and interests . Indian constitution is among the longest in the world.
Our constitution not contented with merely laying down the fundamental principles of governance, as the American constitution does, the authors of the Indian constitution ....
Question : “Indian federalism is described as federal in form but unitary in spirit”. Comment.
(2002)
Answer : Though the constitution describes India as a Union of States, it contains all the essential federal polity such as:
The unique feature of our constitution is that, though it has federal features but it is a federation with unitary bias, which is reflected by the following provision:
Question : “The use of the word ‘Socialist’ in the Indian Constitution has become redundant in the context of the liberalization of economy”.
(2001)
Answer : In the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, it has been resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Socialist Secular Democratic Republic. The fathers of the Indian Constitution wanted to bring about a socialistic transformation in India through democracy.
The word ‘Socialism’ comes to mean the following:
All these, except common ownership, continue to be valid in the present content. Socialism believes ....
Question : “She need and significance of all India services has been well recognized in political as well as administrative circle.”
(2001)
Answer : Historically, the All India Services as the Secretary of States Services of the Victorian era. The oldest among them was the famous Indian Civil Services (ICS) which owes its origin to the Macaulay Report, 1854. Sardar Patel, the Home Minister in the Interim Government had mooted the proposal to create an all Indian Administrative Service. He valiantly steered it for acceptance through a conference of the provincial premiers in October, 1946 and insisted on its ....
Question : “It is axiomatic that a country’s public administration system, including its bureaucracy, must fits into and respond to its overall political system.” In the light of this statement discuss the mutual relations between the Civil Servants and the ministers since Independence.
(2001)
Answer : India is a democracy with a Parliamentary system of Government. A public official in a Parliamentary democracy is accountable directly to the political executive and indirectly through him to Parliament and the people. The political minister formulates policy as well as broadly supervises its implementation; the civil servants advise in formulation of the policy and are also responsible for carrying it out.
Change in political executive with change in the fortunes of the political parties in ....
Question : “Examine the motives and intentions of the framers of the Indian Constitution as they opted for the system of parliamentary democracy in India.
(1997)
Answer : Colonial India ruled by Britisher’s and the experience gained under this regime played dominant role behind the adoption of parliamentary democracy for India. This raised hopes for a stable democratic polity in India. This was certainly the vision of the‘founding fathers’. Under the leadership of Nehru and others, that vision took shape in the form of new political institutions.
The new constitution laid the basis for a British style parliamentary democracy, arrangements were made to keep ....
Question : “The Directive Principles of State Policy are socialist in their direction and content”. Comment.
(1997)
Answer : Our constitution did not adhere to any particular ‘ism’ but sought to effect a compromise between Individualism and Socialism by eliminating the vices of unbridled private enterprise and interest by social control and welfare measures as far as possible.
This is why a ‘socialistic pattern of society’ not Socialism was declared to be the objective of our planning by Pandit Nehru.
A large no. of Directive Principles, however, aim at the establishment at a welfare state in ....
Question : “The preamble to the Constitution is a key to open the mind of the makers”. Comment.
(1997)
Answer : Preamble implies a preliminary or introductory statement in speech or writing. The preamble of a statute, which generally follows the long title and precedes the purview, is a prefactory explanation or statement in general terms stating the reason or occasion for making the statute and the object or policy, which it is designed to achieve. The preamble like the long title is a part of statute and is an admissible aid to its construction.
To quote ....
Question : “The first Article of the Draft Constitution of India provided that India shall be a federation.” Comment.
(1996)
Answer : The first Article of the Draft Constitution of prepared by Sri. B.N. Rau, Constitutional Advisor to the Government of India, provided that ‘India shall be a federation.’ But subsequently the Drafting Committee provided that ‘India shall be a union of states’. This expression was taken from the preamble of the Canadian constitution 1867. Instead of “federation”, the word ‘union’ has been used in the constitution and one of the most controversial questions is the nature ....
Question : “The purists have criticized the Indian Constitution as not confronting to the conception of a federation and as being unduly rigid.” Examine the statement.
(1995)
Answer : Indian Constitution is neither purely ‘federal’ nor purely ‘unitary’. The federal form clearly manifests in the constitutional distribution of powers between the union and the states not only in the legislative field but also in executive and administrative fields. In normal times, the constitutional scheme has to ensure autonomy of the states in regard to the spheres of activities earmarked for the states in the constitution. But sometimes it is felt that the sphere of ....
Question : “The Indian Constitution is a bag of borrowed materials”.
(1995)
Answer : The constitution of India is a products of lengthy debates, deliberations and discussions.Nearly 75% of the constitution can be said to be a reproduction of the Government of India Act 1935 with suitable adaptations and modifications. Besides this indigenous source, the constituent assembly had before it several models of foreign constitutions.
After much needed debates and keeping in mind the Indian conditions many things were borrowed from foreign constitutions. The concept of Directive Principles of State ....
